We Buy Houses Across Broward County

Each Broward city runs its own building department, code enforcement and permit records. Broward County’s own code enforcement covers the unincorporated areas. A code case or open permit in Pembroke Pines, Coral Springs or Hollywood is in that city’s system, not the county’s.

Code liens that have been recorded show up in the county’s Official Records. Fines that are still running, unpaid utility charges and open permits may not, which is why a municipal lien search from the city is part of a careful closing. If you already know about a violation, bring the notice to your first conversation with any buyer so the timeline allows for it.

Broward’s program is run by the Board of Rules and Appeals under Policy 05-05 and enforced by each city’s building official. It now starts at 25 years from the certificate of occupancy and repeats every 10 years. Notices go out by certified mail between June 1 and August 31. The filing deadline depends on the city: Fort Lauderdale gives owners 180 days to file the engineer’s or architect’s safety report, while Hollywood asks for it within 90 days of the letter. Repairs are then generally due within 180 days of the report.

Houses, duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes of three or fewer stories are exempt, and so are fee-simple townhouses and buildings under 3,500 square feet. So the program mainly matters for condo owners. The August 2024 policy also says the Broward inspection satisfies both phases of Florida’s milestone inspection for condo buildings. Cities set their own review fees; Margate, for example, charges $200 per building. Our recertification guide covers what a condo seller has to give a buyer.

Broward estates are filed with the Clerk’s Probate & Guardianship division in the West Building of the Central Courthouse, 201 S.E. 6th Street, Fort Lauderdale. Attorneys must e-file formal and summary administrations, and the Clerk cannot give legal advice. Whoever holds the original will must deposit it with the Clerk within 10 days of learning of the death; there is no fee to deposit a will.

Foreclosure sales in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit are run online, and bidders register on the Clerk’s auction site. A live sale in the courthouse lobby happens only if the final judgment or a court order calls for one. Objections to a sale must be filed within 10 days after the certificate of sale, and the Clerk publishes an owner’s claim form for surplus funds. This is general information, not legal advice; talk to a Florida foreclosure attorney or a HUD-approved counselor about your case.

Hollywood is where our office is. Fort Lauderdale is the county seat and has the Central Courthouse. Its building department publishes its own guide to the 25-year safety inspection. Davie, Plantation, Margate and Weston each publish their own inspection pages too, so a condo seller there should start with city hall rather than the county.